Dear Love
by KawaiiPenguinMutation
Summary: My name is Juliet Conbolt, and I am writing my love letters. In these letters is the story of my life starting when I was just 12-years-old. I don't really know why I decided to put the story I wrote a while ago in the letters, I was just going to write to him. Things change however, and I decided to put the story in there. After fixing some of the grammar and spelling mistakes.
1. Chapter 1

Dear Love,

Candles. That's what we were in this world. Our flames would waver, flicker and they would stay as bright as our own souls. The flames flicker and wave with all of our personal emotions. The strongest of these emotions was not anger it was, and is, determination. Determination to protect others and yourself, determination to make it to the top and determination to live. When the flames burn out that is when the anger flares up trying to create its own raging flame to burn away the rest of life. To burn it all away leaving nothing but ashes in its wake.

However, these were the years that I learned how much determination was in my small body. I arrived back in Magnolia to move back in with my father and little brother. Their names are Macao Conbolt and Romeo Conbolt, and I am Juliet Conbolt, but you already know all of that. Anyways, I moved in with those two after my mom had passed away in the summer. Of course I was greatly upset by this passing, but I knew I had to live for myself and my family that I had not seen in the 7 years since my mom took me and left. I had asked why she just took me and not Romeo too, but all she said was that he looked too much like my father. I knew that was harsh, but what could I do? I was 12-years-old at the time, and I knew nothing about relationships. My mom, Enno, didn't want me to tell the two of them directly that she passed so she wrote the two of them letters instead and told me to give it to them. She knew that she was dying, and I knew it too, but it was impossible to find the cure for her at that point in time. I, honestly, could not give the letters to the men in my family. I read them over and they were far too harsh for them to handle and I wouldn't let them go through that type of written abuse. It wasn't fair to them, but I did give the letters to them eventually when I figured that they could handle it. I'll tell you more about that when the time comes, but for now I'll leave it at that.

Actually, let me start this story I'm about to write to you from the beginning. Let me start the story the week my mom died. I will be using present tense to make this tale seem more realistic and up-to-date, but we both know all the events are true. Well, I know that they are true so I hope that you're prepared to handle all of this. Though, I know that you can, and maybe it is I that cannot fathom all these words that I'm spilling onto these pages. Anyways, I began writing this story the day that we met. You remember the day? It was the first day of… Well, you know the day, and if not then I will describe it when I get to it. I'll be describing it either way though, so maybe you just won't feel like sitting through this entire tale because you know some of the stories in this here letter.

Anyways, let me start my story now, in attempt to stop my unnecessary rambling even further. Honestly, I didn't think I would be telling any of this to you, or anyone for that matter. Well, I hope you enjoy this story, my love. Even if it isn't at the written capability of the celestial mage, Lucy Heartfillia. Who knew she could write so well? I sure as heck didn't suspect that at first. Oh, wait! I'll start my story now! I started to ramble again. I'm sorry. I honestly tend to do that to everyone, not just you like you often believe. Well, maybe I could ramble until the end of this page. Wait never mind, I'm almost there. Just a couple of lines away from the bottom. I should really start now… Okay, here is my story, my love. I hope that you enjoy it (be prepared for a bunch of rambling, you have been warned)!

*DL*FT*DL*FT*DL*FT*DL*FT*DL*FT*

"This bites," comes the griping of one of my friends from the prestigious magic academy in Crocus. "You're already taking high ranking requests when you're 12! I'm older than you by two years and I'm still taking the beginner crap!" He groans as he flails his arms around in exaggerated motions while puffing out his cheeks. Honestly, he almost hits me in the face a couple times, but I just keep quiet until he finishes his tangent. "Ugh, I can't even use any offensive type moves!" He slumps his shoulders in defeat as he continues to mutter quietly to himself. A couple words like 'brat' and 'show-off' is heard through his muttering. Suddenly it was like the two of us were thrown into one of those cartoons they show in the lacrima vision when he tripped over nothing, flew up slightly into the air and then landed on his face with his butt up in the air. "I can't even walk!" He groans into the ground.

I begin laughing so hard that tears begin to stream down my face while he just glares at me from his position on the ground. I fall over from laughing so hard and roll on the soft grass trying to calm down my laughter. Wiping the tears from my eyes I take a few heavy breaths when my laughing finally dies down. "Red," I giggle out when I notice the small smile on his face, "I'm sorry for laughing so hard, it's just that you looked like one of those cartoons that I've seen a while ago!" Another laugh escapes through my lips, "But don't worry, you're fine! You don't need offensive magic because your support magic is really good. I mean, you can't heal serious injuries, but you can still increase someone's stamina and offensive abilities. I mean, that's pretty awesome if you think about that. There are not a lot of support mages out there, but you're one of the few that I know of! I can ask the guest speaker today if he knows any more of support type mages if you want and tell you about it? I don't know, but I hear that he is one of the wizard saints so he must know something about 'em! Right?" I smile over at my friend, Red, with closed eyes.

"You talk a lot."

I stare at him for a couple moments before my eyes open up wide in shock and my mouth drops open. "Eh? What do you mean? I ramble, it's a disease that has no cure! It can't be helped, I'm telling you!" I poke my finger between his eyebrows while staring into his eyes and a pouting expression on my face.

He laughed while turning his head away and sitting up properly. "Do all music mages talk as much as you do? Because if they did then I'm sure everyone in this world would be driven to insanity."

"You're so mean!"

"No, I'm simply telling the truth."

"Then why are you smirking? Is it because you're making fun of me? Wait, stop laughing! I wasn't saying anything funny, and if I was I want to know what I said so I can laugh too!"

"You're an idiot, Juliet."

"You're so mean to me, Red."

"Nope, I'm just telling you the truth once again." Red decides that he wanted to be the one to end this small feud between the two of us, "On to another subject, how is your mom doing? Is she getting any better?"

"Um, well, uh, how do I describe this?" I sit up and pull my knees up to my chest so I can rest my chin on them. How do I describe her condition, it seems to be getting better, but I know it's not because she refuses to dance. "Well, I can tell you that she won't dance anymore, but you don't know her well enough to know what that means… That's my only thing that tells me that it's getting worse. I'll go back home after the lecture from the Wizard Saint, because my mom doesn't want me to miss any of the important lectures and demonstrations. Hmm… maybe I could leave early and check on her that way, but that also doesn't seem like a good idea because that would be rude to leave in the middle of whatever the guy is doing. I'll just go home after, and then…"

Red pinches my lips together with his pointer finger and his thumb successfully ending my rambling. "I'll go check up on her you just shut up and go to the lecture. Do me a favor and be quiet during the entire lecture, because we don't want him to never visit our school again due to your unnecessary tangents."

I finally pull my face away from his hand and rub my lips with my own hand gently trying to sooth them. "Fine," I tell him while getting up and wiping the dirt and grass off my clothes, "But before you go I have to tell you something."

"What?"

"You're a meanie!" With that I run off towards the direction of the auditorium where the lecture will be addressed.

The lecture was long and a little awkward. The wizard saint didn't know how to speak in front of a large group of people. That wasn't an issue though. The issue is that if someone even coughs they would get a blast of magic thrown at them. I'm really not good at remaining silent so the majority of magic spells were cast on me, and I was used as demonstration for most spells. Overall it was a worthy experience because I felt the minimal magic exerted from a wizard saint over a two-hour time span. Once the lecture was over I was all sweaty and worn out. I still had some questions for the mage so it was another hour until I left the stadium.

Red was standing by a tree, shoulders hunched and a sad look is on his face. He is holding a letter in his hands gently as not to ruin it. His green eyes look up at me and he wipes them quickly. He ran, gave me a hug and told me that my mom hung herself. Handing me the letter he watches as I open and read it, tears are falling down both of our faces. I fall to my knees, hug the letter to my chest and sob. I sobbed until I got up and ran.


	2. Chapter 2

**So, to the people that haven't seen the change I made in the first chapter. Yes, I realize my grave mistake of actually messing up one small but large part of the story. Okay, so maybe it's not the most important part of the story, but it's still a mistake that I should address. I'm just gonna re-post the paragraph I made a mistake in and then point it out afterwards just in case. You know?**

 _ **However, these were the years that I learned how much determination was in my small body. I arrived in Magnolia to move back in with my father and little brother. Their names are Macao Conbolt and Romeo Conbolt, and I am Juliet Conbolt, but you already know all of that. Anyways, I moved in with those two after my mom had passed away in the summer. Of course I was greatly upset by this passing, but I knew I had to live for myself and my family that I had not seen in the 7 years since my mom took me and left. I had asked why she just took me and not Romeo too, but all she said was that he looked too much like my father. I knew that was harsh, but what could I do? I was 12-years-old at the time, and I knew nothing about relationships. My mom, Enno, didn't want me to tell the two of them directly that she passed so she wrote the two of them letters instead and told me to give it to them. She knew that she was dying, and I knew it too, but it was impossible to find the cure for her at that point in time. I, honestly, could not give the letters to the men in my family. I read them over and they were far too harsh for them to handle and I wouldn't let them go through that type of written abuse. It wasn't fair to them, but I did give the letters to them eventually when I figured that they could handle it. I'll tell you more about that when the time comes, but for now I'll leave it at that.**_

 ** _So originally I p_** **ut that Juliet hadn't seen them in 11 years, but I realized that it didn't make sense because that gives no time for Romeo to be born! So I had to fix that to make Juliet 4 years older than Romeo. That gives them enough time for the events to occur.**

 **Anyways, thank you all for taking the time to read this, and these author notes won't happen again for a while unless you guys what me to reply to your comments on the story like some authors do at the end of each chapter. I don't know, you guys tell me what you want me to do on that matter.**

 **Please enjoy! And thanks again!**

Dear Love,

I bet that you're wondering why my parents named me Juliet and my brother Romeo. Well, my mom saw a sign on the wall of some play house that was addressing the play _Romeo and Juliet_ and that was how she came across our names. She said that they sounded so good together that she knew she would name her kids with those names, but she didn't bother to see the actual play herself. If she did then I think she would have re-thought our names to something else, or at least one of our names. I was born first so I would have still gotten the name Juliet, but Romeo would have gotten something like Thorn. Or Todd. Yeah, I doubt they would have chosen either of those names.

Oh, wait! I will continue my story now, just so I can get a move on with this. I fear that I'm running out of time because we're currently on a mission at the moment. Maybe I'll take a break from this letter to worry about the mission, like I should be doing. I'll continue my story when we get back…

*DL*FT*DL*FT*DL*FT*

 _Dear Juliet,_

 _By the time you read this I'll be gone from this world forever. I'll be able to dance again with complete freedom of the heavens. Don't worry, I already purchased you a train ticket to Magnolia where you'll be able to meet your brother and your father. I truly am sorry for this being so sudden. My depression finally took its toll on my mind, soul, and body. It was time for me to go. This was my own choice, and I couldn't stand the thought of living anymore because the future I have is too uncertain. I couldn't dance anymore, my legs wouldn't cooperate. I didn't feel the rhythm of the music._

 _I feel terrible for leaving you like this, I can't ever expect you to ever forgive me. What kind of mother am I to leave both of her kids in this cruel world? This cruel and uncertain world. I'm not a candle like you say we all are, I'm a forest fire on the verge of destroying everything. I couldn't destroy you. I wouldn't destroy you. I made myself a promise that I wouldn't. This is for the best, my leaving._

 _You're a beautiful young woman growing up in a cruel world. I'm sorry for leaving you here, but I had to. You don't understand, you will never understand. You try living with the guilt of getting drunk, having an affair, and giving birth to another man's daughter. I don't even know who the man is. Macao thought you were his because you got my looks, and I let him believe that for 5 years. Then we had Romeo together, and then I told him. He asked why, and I didn't know it until then that it was because I didn't love him. So I left. I left with you because I was afraid that he wouldn't love you anymore. I was wrong. I was wrong because I was the one who stopped loving you. I almost wished that you were never born because then I wouldn't have been in this situation._

 _I'm such a terrible mother because I both love and hate you. I shouldn't hate my daughter, but I did and still do. Maybe I should have let you stay with him in Magnolia. You wouldn't have to stay with someone as terrible as me._

 _You kept saying such cruel things to me. You kept telling me that I was your favorite candle. I was your favorite song. You told me that you loved me every day. You kept making sure that I was okay when it was obvious that I didn't want to talk to you, or even look at you for that matter. You lived for me, yet I couldn't stand the sight of you. You were so cruel. You told me that you wanted to be exactly like me. Why did you have to be so cruel? Why couldn't you have just hated me as much as I hated you?_

 _Maybe I did destroy you, I broke my promise. I couldn't help it though, that promise couldn't be kept._

 _Don't tell Romeo or Macao about my death. I already wrote letters to tell them myself. Give those to them, but give Romeo his on his 12th birthday. Go ahead and read their letters on the train. I didn't seal them. You can seal them on your way to their guild._

 _Goodbye,_

 _Enno_

My hands shook as I read the letter over again at the train station. Red gave it to me after the Wizard Saint's lecture a couple days ago. I found him waiting outside the hall, but all he did was bring me into a tight hug before he gave me the letter. What I don't understand is how I didn't know something was wrong immediately, I was just confused. Then he gave me the letter, and that was when I realized what was going on. As I read it Red was reading it over my shoulder mainly because he didn't let me out of his embrace. I remember pushing myself out of his arms and running towards my house. There were doctors and healers exiting the place with solemn expressions on their faces. Then their came the body inside of the body-bag. She was gone forever.

A tear lands on my open palm as I realize that I'm crying, no I'm sobbing. I close my eyes and cover my mouth hoping that no one will see my misery. My cries are muffled now maybe no one will notice. I'm sorry for not being able to hide my emotions that well, I hold them out for everyone to see. Now I realize how troublesome that is, maybe I am a burden like my mom was implying. No, she said she hated me, but does that make me a burden? Suddenly a pair of arms wrap around me tightly pulling me into their chest. Opening my lavender eyes I see the blurry face of Red. He's here, he's really here. I lean into him and continue to cry and sob and hiccup.

"I'm sorry," I cry even harder as I say this. Truthfully, I don't even know if I'm saying this to him or to my mom. Maybe I was saying it to the both of them. "I'm so sorry!" this hiccups out of me this time as the tears continue to roll down my face. Red then places his hand on top of my head and running it slightly down my knee-length, blonde hair. At least I know why I don't look anything like my dad now. Actually come to think of it I don't really look like my mom either. I thought I did, but really I don't. Why didn't I notice?

I slowly calm myself until I'm just leaning against Red with uneven breaths. I asked if he could come with me, but he refused. He wanted to continue his learning and when he thinks he surpassed my skill he will come find me. We will continue to be best friends no matter what. We can visit each other, mail each other and talk to each other with the communication lacrimas. I don't want to lose my best friend as well.

"Train 794b: Destination Magnolia will be departing shortly. Will all passengers get on board quickly? We will be leaving shortly." The announcement echoes across the station robotically.

"Why c-can't y-y-you come w-with m-me?" My voice shakes out the sad question. "I-I know th-that you al-already tol-told me, b-but I d-d-don't want to l-leave you-ou." The tears come back to my eyes as I wrap my arms around him tightly not wanting to let go. "Y-y-you're all-ll that-t I-I have!"

"You really are my idiot," he says softly as he continues to smooth out my hair with his hand. "Don't worry we will keep in touch, and I will find you one day after I get stronger. You're my little sister, don't forget that. We're family. We became family the day we became friends because you said that friendship is like family, we love and protect each other." He pulls away and holds me at arms-length away pushing me towards the train. "Now get on that train, and meet your old and new family."

"I-I w-w-w-will! I prom-promise!" I say giving him the biggest smile I can muster before turning around and stepping onto the train with my bag in my arms, letters in my hand and my hair swaying behind my thighs as I take my small steps.

Many people stare at me as I walk towards my seat, many glances are awkward and some are in annoyance. I can't really blame them because there is a girl whose face is covered in dried tears. Really, I probably would be looking awkward too because I wouldn't know how to address the situation. Another factor going into this situation would be the style of my clothing, it's not your average Thursday to see someone dressed in a steampunk fashion. A white, medieval crop top, with a ruffled, brown skirt reaching my lower thighs in length and a pair of brown boots reaching up to my mid-calf with ribbons making the laces. Let's not forget about my small, brown hat with flowery lace tied around it that looks like it's barely staying on my head, but it is connected to my hair by a clip (that no one can see) so it won't fall off. Yeah, I definitely can't blame their awkward expressions being directed at me. All I can do is accept it at this point.

After I sit down I stare out the window watching as we leave the station. From here on out my life will change, but I don't know if I actually want that change. Will it be good? Will it be bad? I don't know, but now I have to find out. I honestly knew that I will meet my father (not father?) and brother again someday, but I didn't think these would be the circumstances. I thought that my mom and I would have traveled back to Magnolia together to meet up with them. Romeo would meet his mom and then they will grow happy together. My father would see her again and forgive her for all the things that she had done to him and she would realize that she actually loved him and couldn't be apart from him any longer. I would meet them and they would love me like a family should. I thought that we could make a happy family with the mom, dad, daughter and son. How could I have been so wrong? To think that everything would be perfect. I mean, I knew my mom didn't like me, but I thought that if I loved her enough for an entire family to love the mom that she would eventually love me too.

Here they are, the tears. They stream down my face once again as the scenery rushes by outside the window. A shuttering breath falls through my lips as the tears slow down and then run out.

"That's enough crying," I whisper to my reflection in the glass. "What would mom think if she saw you like this?" Wiping the tears away aggressively I turn away from the window forcing a small smile on my face. Smiling always makes me happier, so that's what I will do for now on. I will only smile, and I will do my best to make others smile as well. I pull out a blank piece of paper and something to write one and begin to address my first letter to love.

 _Dear Love,_

 _What does it mean to have a family? Have I been trying the wrong way? Why would you do this to me? My teacher when I was five and first entering the magic academy in Crocus my teacher told me that everyone deserves to be loved and forgiven. She told me that it may be hard to love some people, and it may be hard to forgive some, but as long as I tried to be as loving and forgiving as possible then I will be loved and forgiven in return._

 _So, tell me, what did I do so wrong? I listened to my teacher's advice and my mom hated me, but I did gain an older brother. So I still have to thank you. I have to thank whoever is in charge of this love business. Because, dang, you really helped me out and you really messed me up. So, I guess… No, I still owe whoever you are a thank you because I did think that my mom loved me for a certain amount of years and I loved her too. Like any daughter should._

 _I really don't get you though. Are there two different entities up there that are in charge of love? Oh well, I guess you're stuck with me writing to you from now on. I wish you luck because in any other note I write will be full of ramblings and what-not._

 _This sounds really sad, especially for a proud-ish 12-year-old like me, but I'm gonna make you my new friend! I will turn to you whenever I need someone to listen. Go ahead judge me, but I will continue to write letters and notes to you whenever I feel like it!_

 _Who knows? Maybe this will become a habit and I will write to you every day! Ha! Take that!_

 _Wow, this really is sad. Well, I'm sad so let's just leave this be for now._

 _~Juliet Conbolt_


	3. Chapter 3

Dear Love,

I just realized how confusing the last letter must have been! Okay, you see, I just started writing my letters to love on that train because I was so upset, and all I had then was Red. See, I thought I talked too much then so I didn't want to tell him what I was thinking, well, actually I did… but he wasn't on the train! So, I didn't have anybody to tell, but yeah the letters that I include in my story aren't going to be addressed to you. Well, maybe when I get to the part of the story where I meet you then it might be in there. Wait, no, when I met you I started writing the story and not the actual letters. Anyways, you probably figured out that the letter within the letter wasn't addressed to you, but it was a "just-in-case" kind of thing that made me address it.

Truthfully, I don't think that my mom hated me. She did say that she didn't want to "ruin" me. She was depressed and she just wanted to find an excuse to find the "problem" in her life. I just happened to be that problem. I was there when she needed something to blame. Well, at least I hope so anyway. There was this one conversation I had with my dad… I'll tell you that when I get there!

I love you so much, I just thought that I had to put that in there. I don't think that I say it enough. I love you, I love you, I love you! There, that should be enough for this amount of letter space.

Oh, we have to go find a request to do, so I'll end this here.

One last thing, this is going to be the last letter portion of the story until the end. Just thought that I should let you know. I'll just be putting the story in the next letters. Okay, on with the story!

*DL*FT*DL*FT*DL*FT*DL*FT*

"Meeting my father~" I hum as I walk down the streets of Hargeon. "Meeting my brother~" With a skip I turn the corner and into a small café. "For the first time~" Drumming my fingers on the table top I grin childishly at my dumb song. It really was a dumb song, but at least the tune was decent. Well, decent enough. A piece of bread in the shape of a teddy bear was placed in front of me by an older lady with too much free time and a kind smile.

"So, who're those letters for, sweetie?" The lady asks while sitting in the seat across from me. I did say she had too much free time, or it's the fact that I'm the only customer in here. Oh, and she gave me free bread!

"One is for my father and one is for my little brother," I tell her with a wide grin, "My mom wrote those letters for them, and I'm on my way to deliver them. I need to go to Magnolia, but I came her all the way from Crocus too. My best friend, Red, told me to stay in contact with him and I told him to stay in contact with me! So, I sent him a hooded-cape like mine that I found a couple stops back. Ooh, maybe they'll let me live with them because my mom is, well, she's not here anymore. Plus I already did an S-Class exam and passed at the Crocus Mage Academy (which means I graduated, but I decided to stay to train with Red), so they said it was all right. Wait, I just realized that I'm rambling again! I'm sorry, please forgive me!"

The lady laughed a bit and I just put one of my hands in my violet hooded-cape to clutch onto my letter. My dad's and brother's letters are in the outside pocket sticking out. After the lady calmed down from her laughing fit she smiles kindly at me.

"Oh, don't worry, sweetie, I have my times when I'm rambling too. Oh, and don't forget about my husband! He's the worst when it comes to rambling, but let me tell you that you can give him a run for his money one day." She told me letting out a loose laugh.

"This bread is so yummy! Did you make this, miss?"

"Yes, dear, I did. My mom taught me when I was 7, but he sadly died when I was around 6. My mom encouraged me to bake too because she also learned when she was around 7 by her dad, who died because of the deranged guild called Blue Skull. Ah, she's told me that story many times. Her café is in Magnolia and is being run by my older brother. You should visit it if you get the chance."

"I'll definitely visit! Oh, did your kids learn to bake too?"

"Neither of them wanted to, but a young girl in the orphanage comes by every now and them and I teach her."

"That's very nice!" I giggle out finishing the bread. "Well, thanks for the yummy bread, miss!" I run out the door putting my hood on over my head with violet bunny ears flopping into my field of vision then out. "Good thing Red's didn't have bunny ears on the hood. Ooh! He would've been so mad."

After a couple of days of just thinking I finally accepted the death of my mother. It took a bit to understand, but my mom was sick and I couldn't help her. She both loved and hated me, but I was just a problem of hers. At that point I wasn't even near to fill that role of daughter. She wasn't in the right place, and I was in the place of blame. I don't know why my dad thought I got my looks, I just think that I look like whoever helped my mother make me. I didn't meet the guy, but I definitely have his hair and eyes. Maybe I have my mom's nose. That's it, that's where the confusion came in. I get it now.

It'll be 11 hours until the train leave for Magnolia, but until then I'll sit here and play the violin. With a shrug I requip my violin out and grab onto my bow which was hanging at my hip and begin to play off to the side of the street. Slowly, slowly, slowly. Pick up speed and go with the flow of the crowds. Tap. Tap-tap. I begin to dance along to the upbeat music and around the people who gathered by. Tap, tap, tap. I dance around the children who are dancing with me, and soon even some of the adults and teenagers who are brave enough to join in dance as well. There is a circle around me giving me enough room to move with my music. This is what I'm good with. This is my release. Stomp. Releasing a bit of magic into the ground a yellow glow raises me from the ground lifting me until I'm floating 4 feet off the ground. Pick up speed. Don't release more magic. Slow down and descend. I am repeating my instructor's words from when I was five when she was patiently telling me what to do. I lift my bow into the air and the crowd that grew around me claps, the children shout "Encore, encore!" excitedly.

I exquip my violin away and place my bow back to its spot on my hip. The crowd of people leave slowly after that some went to put some jewel on my cape that fell off sometime during my playing, but I quickly intervened and told them to keep it. I was set from the missions I went on at the academy, and plus the few babysitting gigs that I did. A couple children came up to speak with me and then for a while they were sitting in front of me listening to a story that I just came up with. They asked me to tell them a story and plus their parents also pulled me to the side and asked if I could watch over them for a bit. They said that they recognized me from Sorcery Weekly. That magazine is really popular, but so is Crocus Mage Academy. It's really hard to get in there, and I was lucky enough to get in when I was 5. It was right when I moved to Crocus actually.

"And then the three-headed beast let out a ferocious roar from its three heads. The wizards were sent flying back against the dark caves wall!" I exclaim dramatically with several of the kids gasp at the sudden twist of the tale. A smirk crawls its way onto my lips as I jump up landing crouched in front of a little boy with black hair. He looks up at me with wide eyes as I open my mouth to continue the story, "The mages all looked at each other before they charged at the beast without a single thought. They didn't have time to think, all they could do was act. The three mages: Violet, Sakura, and Venice took out their strongest magic and sent it flying at their enemy's necks. Thud. Thud. Thud. All three heads of the beast fell to the ground. Thud! The body of the beast fell too. The mages fell to their knees and smiled at each other knowing that they had one!" I yell excitedly jumping back with the children cheering for the mages.

"What happens next?" The young boy that I jumped in front of asked excitedly waiting for me to finish the story. Several of the parents came back and decided to listen to the story as well with mild interest.

"Violet, Sakura and Venice walked out of the cave each of them dragging a single head of the beast each. They walked back to the town and as the villagers began to notice the three mages they began to cheer at their victory. The villagers threw a party for the three of them dressing Violet and Sakura up in pretty gowns that matches their names and dressing Venice up in a dashing white suit. Once they were all dressed up they began to party with the rest of the villagers! They partied all through the night until they couldn't party anymore! The end." The children clap at the ending and the parents collect their kids and walk away with their kids talking excitedly about what they heard.

Once all the kids were collected by their parents I turn around to put my hooded-cape back on tying the strings around my neck in a bow. I'm terrible at tying bows so it just kind of flops down with the loops noticeably uneven.

"Hey! You're Juliet Conbolt, right?" A blonde lady wearing a white and blue shirt asks walking up to me. "I saw you in an issue of Sorcerer Weekly! You're the youngest mage to pass their S-class exam at Crocus Mage Academy!" She squeals placing her fists in front of her mouth. I look up at her noticing how tall she is compared to me. I probably only go up to just below her breasts. I'm really tiny.

"Oh, no, I'm not the youngest to pass the exam. You see there were a couple 9-year-olds and some 10-year-olds. I did it when I was 11, and that means I'm not the youngest." I state while pointing into the air with my pointer finger.

"I guess that's true, but it's still pretty impressive. I heard that it's basically like a guild there. Is it true?" The blonde lady asks.

"Yeah, it's true. They even let you go on missions and stuff. My partner is Red, but he's still trying to get stronger. He'll probably be joining me soon, he wants to get stronger first. Oh, I can't wait until he joins me! He's my best friend!" I jump up and down slightly from excitement.

"You're so adorable!" She squeals hugging me shoving my head into her stomach before quickly letting me go. "Wait, didn't you used to dress up in a steampunk style?" She asks looking down at my outfit. I was wearing a loose white crop top with one inch sleeves that fell off my shoulders and black mid-thigh, shorts. My toned belly was visible and a sash rested on my hips holding my silver violin bow. A red band is on my right forearm and one is on my left calf. I am wearing black ankle boots with ribbons tied in sloppy bows. Oh, and we can't forget about my violet colored hooded-cape with bunny ears on the hood.

"Yeah, but I decided to change my style like my mom told me to before she passed away. She was always like 'You look so dumb in that trash. You should be dressing more like this.' You know all that stuff."

"Oh, I'm so sorry…"

"Don't be sorry, it's okay I guess. I'm going to be meeting my father and little brother soon, well once the train arrives their anyways. I've been on the train for days! I haven't even been able to practice my magic at all."

"I'm a wizard too, you know? I happen to be a celestial wizard!" She bragged about her magic and explained the concept of how a celestial wizard works. "I even have three gold keys already, and a couple silver keys too."

"Wow! What gold keys do you have? Not that I'm not interested in the silver ones, but the gold ones are really rare."

"I know right! I'm lucky to have 3. I have Taurus the bull, Cancer the crab, Aquarius (she's my strongest one). They are all my partners and friends. Even Aquarius, she has a nasty attitude let me tell you that."

"Really? That's awesome! I've never met a wizard with 3 gold keys before. I met one with 2 before, but she was really mean. You're really nice too!" I said locking my hands together in front of my decent size bust. "If we meet again, let's be friends!"

"Of course! My name is Lucy Heartfillia, and I plan on joining Fairy Tail!"

"Oh, me too! I hope to see you their soon! My train leaves in 6 hours, I'm going to meditate for a bit to open my magic energy core and then do some exercises. Oh, and then take a bath in the public bath house and then go to a café to call Red. Then get on the train for 3 hours to get to Magnolia. Oh, and then I get to meet my little brother and father after not seeing them for seven years."

"Seven years? That's a long time?"

"Yeah, but I get to see them again! My brother should be 8 now, and I get to hold him and tell him everything is going to be alright. I get to protect him now and make up for the time I was gone. I get to be his big sister and try my best to make him smile. That's what big sisters do, right? Protect their little brothers and get rid of their darkness. I made a promise that I don't intend to break. I told him that when he was born, and in the hundreds of letters I sent both him and my father. I will make them both smile, because if they can't then I know I failed."

"I think he will love you. You know, he will protect you to? That's what brothers are for. It doesn't matter if they're younger or older, if they're willing to fight they will do whatever they can to make you smile as well. Family does that for each other."

"Thank you, Miss Lucy. I should go train now before I have to go. I haven't trained in so long! It's about time I did. Well, I have to go! I'll see you at Fairy Tail!" I tell her while walking away with a wave of my hand. She shouts wishing me well and that she can't wait to meet me again. My long, blonde hair swish behind my knees with each step I take on my way towards the beach. Despite the bustling city this town only has one magic related attraction, and that was a tiny shop somewhere in town. On my way towards the beach I passed by a pink-haired man with a flying, blue cat trailing behind him. The pink-haired man was shouting something about finding Igneel and the cat was telling him that they need some fish.

"I hope they find this Igneel person." I mutter quietly to myself with a small, worried smile. I would frown, but I realized that it was an impossibility. I can only muster a straight face if I try. At the beach I meditate for two hours straight, then I start to do some intense muscle building exercises for an hour and then I make my way up the beach after a couple minutes of rest. I had to ask a couple of ladies where the nearest bath house was and they gave me the directions before they went back to gossiping about a Salamander. Salamanders are cute and all, but I don't know why they would be swooning over one. Maybe it is a really big lizard, and it was really cute. I totally get it now. Hearts grew in my eyes at the thought before I shook my head. I don't really think that's possible, well it could be. You never know. With a shrug I make my way into the bath house and pay the entrance fee. Making my way into the girls' room I purchase small containers of body-wash, shampoo and conditioner that all smell like lavender.

When I was little lavender became my favorite flower and scent because it's the same color as my eye. The one that's not covered by my bangs. I get undressed, put my clothes and bow into a locker and then I sit down to wash myself. While I was washing I think about what happened over the past week. Not like I haven't thought about it the entire train ride, but its one subject that will never leave my mind. Of course I will eventually stop thinking about it every day, and I will continue to move on with my life. I won't forget what happened, and I will tell Romeo the story despite being asked not to tell him until he's 12-years-old. That was an unfair request, and I'm not going to leave him in the dark. I'll tell my father and then we'll both tell him together. After I'm done washing myself I settle into the steaming bath and relax for a good ten minute before putting my clothes on, brushing my knee-length blonde hair then leaving.

I read both of their letters like my mother told me to. Romeo's wasn't harsh towards him, it was towards my father and me though. My father's letter was also harsh towards him and me. I don't know why I still think she didn't hate me at some point. It was getting harder and harder to think that way, but I know she did once and then she just stopped one day. I don't understand, maybe it's because I'm still a child.

I sit down in a random café after ordering some milk. My communication lacrima starts to glow in my pocket. I take it out, set it on the table and watch as a projection of Red's face appears. He is wearing his black hooded-cape that I sent him, his spiky red hair sticks out from underneath the hood. His green eyes show amusement when he takes in my attire and a smirk grows on his tan face.

"You know, Juliet, I knew you would change you style, but I thought it would look a bit more depressing." He states with a chuckle. I grin as I look at his dark cape and his dark blue shirt. The only thing that was bright on him was the red band on his left bicep. We got each other friendship bands last year and we both never took them off. His second band is on his right calf.

"We both know that I can't do that! Jeez, now you're the one being the idiot, Red." I giggle placing my hand in front of my mouth. A mischievous look makes its way into my eye. "You know, Red, dark and depressed doesn't look good on me. You however, you can pull it off."

"Idiot, you know dark colors work best on me. Besides now I won't tell you the good news." He smirks victoriously knowing my childish curiosity will get the better of me. "It's really awesome too, but since you're being mean like that then I won't tell you." The 14-year-old grins crossing his toned arms in front of his chest.

"Fine, I'm sorry!" I place my locked hands in front of my chest as if I'm begging for his forgiveness.

"You know what you need to call me to get me to forgive you, Jules."

"Red, the majestic knight with the power to protect all the realms. With support magic so great it makes any and all healers cry." I mutter looking away from the projection with a blush on my cheeks hoping that no one heard me say that.

"Oh, who knew you thought so highly of me, Jules. I'm glad to tell you that I'm gonna be joining Fairy Tail sooner than I thought. I'll join after sensei teaches me how to put my support magic into instruments. He said that way I will be able to heal better than now and I will be able to match my magic with yours to make us an unstoppable team."

"And you say I ramble…" I mutter quietly before smiling brightly at the projection. "Anyways, that's amazing Red! Do you know when you will join?"

"In a couple months at least." He shrugs his shoulders and pulls out a violin, the one I taught him how to play. "This will be the only one I can use for a while until I learn other instruments."

"Oh, I can teach you! It will be great, fantastic even! Oh, I can't wait to see you again and play music with you again! It's going to be so much fun! Ooh, and I bet you can't believe it, but I already made a friend who is planning on joining Fairy Tail. Her name is Lucy and she's a celestial wizard! Isn't that awesome?"

"Yeah, it is. One question, is she hot?"

"I don't know, she didn't look like she had a fever. Plus the temperature here is a little chilly because it's by the ocean."

He slaps his palm to his forehead muttering, "You're really an idiot. Such an idiot, I don't understand."

"You're the one asking if she was feverish! Don't call me an idiot." I cross my arms over my chest with a pout.

"I wasn't asking if she was feverish."

"That's what it sounded like. Red, you're the one that's the idiot."

"Do you think she will date me?" He smirks when he lifts his face away from his hand.

"No, you're too young for her. She's at least 19, plus I doubt she would date an idiot like you."

"Jules, my dear sister, you should know that age doesn't matter. It's a 5 year age difference. It doesn't matter."

"You're still an idiot. Ooh! I just thought of something! I…"

"It's about time," he interrupts me with a chuckle.

"I just realized that I have 30 minutes to get on the train. Bye, Red!" I turn off the communication lacrima and leave the café thanking the workers as I go. Running I make my way to the train station smiling. I'm going to meet my little brother and father. I can't wait.


	4. Chapter 4

Today I meet my father and my brother, and I couldn't be any happier. The three hour train ride felt like minutes due to my excitement. My walk through Magnolia was bursting with life and color and an overall worthy experience that I would definitely recommend it to anyone. This walk was preparing me for my first steps of life. Life in Fairy Tail.

The sky was blue and spotted with white clouds. Grey clouds were forming in the distance away from the other clouds. They look a little lonely all the way by themselves. Why wouldn't they join the other clouds? The farther they are the lonelier they appear, and the more they cry.

"Hey there, sweetie." A man being trailed by women greets me with a smirk. "You lost?"

"Oh, no, sir! I'm just on my way to Fairy Tail to meet my little brother and father! Their names are Romeo and Macao. Romeo is my little brother and my father is Macao. Oh! I didn't say my name! My name is Juliet! It's nice to meet you, sir." I turn my gaze to the women trailing behind him, "Nice to meet you ladies too!"

"My name is Loki, and it's a pleasure. Let me walk you to the guild. Weird men might try to take you."

"Oh, thank you, Sir Loki! That's very kind of you."

"Yes, Loki, that's very kind! Ah, so kind! Loki, you will make a great father one day. Ah, Loki let's go make 33 babies right away!" The cluster of women swoon, most of them are fanning themselves with their hands or paper fans.

"Ladies, ladies, let's get this little one to the guild safely first and the. I can get to your requests. Call me and I'll be there as soon as I can." He puts a gentle hand on my shoulder and turns his head to face the women.

"You know, Juliet, I am part of the guild." He smiles down at his magic rings thankfully, yet almost regretfully as well.

"You remind me of a tiger," I say after a couple of minutes of silence, "Or a lion. Can I call you Mr. Cat?"

"Loki will be just fine, thank you," he laughs awkwardly and the women just giggle and blush at his response.

"Okay, Sir Loki!" My time at the Mage academy has trained me to call everyone sir or miss and depending on the age I may also call women ma'am. Though enlists you got extremely close to someone then you would call them by their name or a nickname.

A couple minutes later we made it to a three story building with the guild's symbol on the top tier and the words 'Fairy Tail' above the entrance. With a smile I turn back towards Loki, but he was already back to being surrounded by women. A couple more has joined actually. They must be really good friends, all of them are hugging some part of his body. I thank him either way, but he doesn't hear me over the women's chattering. With a shrug of my shoulders I slowly make my way into the guild. The occasional argument could be heard as I made my way up to the bar where a pretty lady with white hair was cleaning dishes.

"Excuse me, miss! Can you help me?" I ask the lady with a wide smile. My hood was up over my hair and I can see the bunny ears just barely flopping into my vision. I gently push the ears up with my hands and smile slightly with an embarrassed blush on my face.

"Of course, sweetie. I'm Mirajane, what's your name and what can I help you with?"

"Well, Miss Mirajane, I'm looking for my father and little brother. My father is Macao Conbolt, my little brother is Romeo Conbolt and I'm Juliet Conbolt! Do you know where I can find them? I got here about ten minutes ago. Well, I got to Magnolia ten minutes ago and then I got to the guild about a minute ago. I used to live in Crocus because I lived with my mother, but now I can't because she died recently. Oh, don't be sorry mother wanted to because she was very sick and sad. She told me to go live with my father and little brother. Anyways (sorry I started rambling again) do you know where I can find them?"

"Wow, you sure can talk!" Mirajane giggles while I just smile sheepishly at that statement. "Macao is on a mission at Mt. Hokobe and Romeo is staying with Wakaba."

"Who is Sir Wakaba, Miss Mirajane?"

"He is Macao's best friend. He's right over there." She points at a table with a brunette girl drinking from a barrel and a dirty-blonde hair man smoking from a pipe.

"Do you think I could talk to the master about joining this guild?" I ask the kind lady with the white hair.

"Of course, the master is right over there." She smiles and points to the older, short man. He's even shorter than I am! Not by much, but about one or two heads shorter than me. Maybe a head and a half.

I nod at Mirajane, smile and then walk over to the short master of Fairy Tail. The master and I spoke for a while about the Mage Academy and how their S-Class grading was false. It makes their wizards in training look and sound stronger, but the 'S-class' exam is really just saying that we're ready to take on tougher missions on the board. Really, who would actually allow 9-year-olds to participate in something as dangerous as an S-class mission? Of course the 9-year-olds probably are strong enough to now, but the academy also sends a supervisor just in case if something goes wrong. It usually is just one student and one supervisor.

After that conversation I did ask if I could join the guild and gave him my file with the missions that I had previously completed at the academy. He just tosses the file over his shoulder and onto some random table.

"I don't need to see some file to sense your strength, Juliet. I can feel a strong magical energy within you. It's not fully trained, but give it some time in this guild then it will get stronger a hundred times over. Now, welcome to the guild, my child." Master Makarov states with a grin on his face and his hands on his waist. He stands proud of his guild and watches as a small brawl starts up. He directs me back over to Mirajane asking her to give me the guild emblem. I get the emblem an inch to the right from my belly-button. The emblem appeared in the shade of lavender just like my eye.

Later that day I just hang out with Wakaba and Cana talking about both Romeo and my father. I'm learning so much about them. Once Wakaba, who told me to call him Uncle, left the guild we walk to my father's and little brother's house.

"Wakaba!" An 8-year-old boy with dark hair runs up to us waving his hand in the air. He stares at me for a few seconds before he exclaims, "Juliet! Is that you?"

"Romeo! Of course it's me! Ah, you look so different in real life than in the communication lacrima!" I exclaim hugging him tightly. Sadly, I was only a head taller than him, but at the moment I didn't really care. I met my brother!

For the rest of the night we were talking about everything and anything we could think of. I told him all about the missions I went on, all the instruments that I can play and even all the physical training that I did. He told me about the guild, his favorite members and what he thinks the coolest magic is. I didn't get offended when he said that his favorite magic type was anything to do with fire. My father and his second favorite member, Natsu Dragneel, are fire users. Natsu is a dragon slayer which makes him cooler in Romeo's opinion.

Dragon slaying magic is a lost magic too, which is awesome. Apparently he was even raised by a fire dragon. I can't help but wonder if there are other dragon slayers out there. I mean first generation dragon slayers, not second generation. I met one second generation dragon slayer before, but she didn't say much. I doubt she will ever join a guild, she doesn't really like to use her magic.

Romeo and I were pretty much inseparable for three days. We hung out in the guild, at the park and at home. We did almost everything together and I realized that he was getting bullied from the other kids around his age. I was able to shoo them away this time, but what is it actually like when I'm not there to witness it? Is it worse or is it still just words being said?

Now is time to make a new promise. I promise to get rid of his darkness, and I'll always make him smile. No matter what.


	5. Chapter 5

My father isn't back yet. Romeo and I head towards the guild hall to discuss this with the master, but we were sent away being told to have faith in our father whom is a Fairy Tail mage. Romeo ran out in tears after giving the master a weak punch, and I bow to the master calmly.

"I respect your words, Master Makarov, but I am going to Mt. Hakobe to save my father." I stand up straight and walk out of the guild with my usual smile wiped off my face. Guild members that were in my way simply stepped to the side glancing at me warily. So far that have only seen me smile, until now.

Natsu Dragneel, Happy and Lucy Heartfillia followed me out after seeing the exchange. I asked why they were following me, and Natsu said that we don't leave our family behind when we know they're in danger. That we fight to protect our family, and that included the entire guild. Lucy just said that it wasn't fair to either Romeo or I.

On the carriage ride there Natsu had fallen ill due to his motion sickness and Lucy, Happy and I were talking about random stuff. I feel bad for admitting this, but I wasn't really paying attention to the conversation we were having. I'm pretty sure we were talking about Red for a while, and I think Lucy called him by his full name: Redonis.

"Miss Lucy, Sir Natsu, we're almost there." I notice as the carriage begins to groan along with Natsu while it moves through the heavy snow.

The carriage stopped and we have to travel the rest of the way on foot. Lucy was complaining about the cold. Natsu and I continue to walk forward trying to ignore her complaining, I was doing a better job than Natsu.

"Open, Gate of The Clock Constellation: Horologiam!" Lucy shouts with a silver key out in front of her. "This will keep me warm!" She exclaims as she climbs into the clock wrapping her blanket around her. Her mouth moves as if she's talking but we can't hear a word.

"Juliet, you'll freeze out there. You can fit in here with me' the lady states urgently." The walking clock states for her as it follows us. She must have noticed my shivering when she got in there.

"I'll be fine, Miss Lucy," I turn and smile at her and the clock, "besides I'm more worried about my father." With that I turn back around and accidentally tune out the conversation between Lucy and Natsu. I didn't mean to, but I guess that helped me notice the Vulcan charging at the clock containing Lucy.

From what I remember Vulcans need to possess humans in order to live, and I can't help but wonder if that Vulcan is my father.

"Screech of the Nether beast!" I shout letting a beam of pale yellow sound waves hit the Vulcan before it could grab Lucy. The monkey-like creature falls back slightly grabbing onto its ears. I summon a pale blue violin out and grab my bow from its place on my hip. "Song of the dancing flurries!" I begin to play on the instrument aggressively while dancing to dodge its grabs at me. Snow travels all around the Vulcan's limbs entrapping him.

"Fire dragon's iron fist!" Natsu shouts, his fist coated in flames as he lands a punch on the Vulcan.

"My women! My women!" The Vulcan shouts breaking free from the snow and flinging Natsu in some random direction. My violin disappear in a pale yellow glow as the moster grabs both me and Lucy making his way to his cave. Happy, Natsu's flying blue cat, could be seen trying to catch Natsu. Horologiam disappeared announcing that his time was up.

Once it drops us onto the floor of the cave it starts dancing around happily chanting about 'his women.'

"Technically, I'm still just a girl!" I exclaim summoning a crimson violin. "Song of the roaring sun!" A pale red and orange light follow my movements before it crashes into the Vulcan. The beast flies back into the wall of the cave breaking it due to the force I sent its way.

"Open, gate of the golden bull: Taurus!" Lucy shouts and a large cow appears holding an axe.

"Lucy, you are looking bea-ooo-tifull. Show me how you m-ooo-ve!" Taurus exclaims looking at Lucy with hearts in his eyes. Natsu came flying in knocking Taurus out with a flaming fist.

"How many monsters are there?" Natsu shouts looking back and forth from the Vulcan and Taurus.

"Natsu, he's one of my spirits!" Lucy states with anger evident in her voice. Natsu glances at the Vulcan in confusion.

"Sir Natsu, I think she meant the giant bull over there." I chip in pointing at the celestial spirit.

"Yeah, and how did you even survive out there?" Lucy asks him carefully as if she's trying to figure him out.

"She liiiiikes him," Happy whispers to me covering his mouth with his paws. I nod covering my own grin looking between the two.

"Happy saved me," Natsu grins as he looks at Happy who was currently laying on my head.

The Vulcan swings Taurus's axe down at Natsu once again shouting about Lucy and I being his women. Natsu, to my surprise, caught the axe within the grasp of his hands. Using his fire dragon magic he melts the blade of the axe. The melted drops fall down into his mouth and he swallows them. I just stare in amazement as he spits the melted drops back out at the Vulcan and finishes it off with another fiery fist.

"Sir Natsu, that was amazing! That was so cool! Oh, I can't wait to tell Romeo all about it!" I shout excitedly at his victory, my violin disappearing in its pale yellow light. "It would have taken me twice as long to take care of it!" The possession the beast had on my father ended sending a strong wind to escape from the force of the depleting spell.

"What happened?" exclaims a very shocked Lucy.

"Sir Happy, can you explain this to Miss Lucy? I have to go get the herbs that were in my bag. Father looks like he took a good beating." I explain running out of the cave to go find my bag. It must've fell off when the Vulcan grabbed hold of me.

I wrap my cape around me and bring my hood back up as I search. I definitely wasn't dressed for this type of environment, it was sunny in Magnolia, and here there is a blizzard. I was wearing my black shorts, white crop-top, ankle boots and my red bands. Oh, and my violet hooded-cape. I was shivering pretty badly as I pulled my cape closer to my body. Seeing my bag covered in some snow I scoop it from the ground and run back to the cave. "Your little boy and girl are waiting for ya." I hear Natsu say when I walk through the entrance of the cave. Walking in slowly and quietly I listen to their conversation.

"Juliet's here?" A new male voice questions. That's my father!

"Yeah, she came all this way to get you back. She even joined a Fairy Tail."

"What happened to Enno?"

"She passed away. Juliet can give you the details, I only read about it in Sorcerer Weekly." That was Lucy who gave that explanation. "The article was about why Juliet suddenly left the academy, they got the information from the school but it didn't go that far into detail."

"Father," comes my quiet voice as I see him lying on Natsu's blanket.

"Juliet?" That was all it took for me to run and give him a hug. Tears, happy tears, fall down my face. The only word that could come out of my lips was 'father.' This is great! I got my father back!

"Juliet, let's go home." I only nod as I back away from him with a smile on my face. Natsu helps him to his feet as we begin walking out of the cave and back to the carriage. Lucy, Natsu and Happy we're all teasing me about my height because I tried to help my father walk and he almost had to bend at a ninety-degree angle. That's a bit of an exaggeration, but he still had to bend pretty far down.

"I'm taller than Romeo!" I exclaim in defiance. I'm not the shortest at the guild. There are two people that are shorter than me. "And the master!" My voice begins to whine out my words. They all laugh at me, even my father is laughing at me.

It took about an hour before we made it back to Magnolia. I spot Romeo crying on the stairs, those mean boys must have teased him again. "Romeo!" Natsu and I shout at the same time gaining the boy's attention.

His eyes first lock on me, then Natsu and then finally our father. "Dad?" He shouts tackling him to the ground. Romeo grabs my arm and pulls me into the hug as well.

"Romeo, next time those kids pick on you. Ask them this; 'Can your old man slay 19 monsters?' If that doesn't work ask 'Can your older sister slay the beast that my old man couldn't?' Then after those questions you can proudly state that yours can." My father tells my little brother. We all then notice Natsu, Lucy and Happy walking away so Romeo and I stand up and shout out thanks to them.

"They're so cool," the whisper escapes through my lips and I am pretty sure that there are stars in my eyes.

Romeo, Father and I walk back to our house. Father told me that I could live with them, and I happily accepted. Once Romeo fell asleep using my lap as a pillow and father's as a foot rest I grab the letter mother wrote to father.

"Father, I need to warn you, the contents of this letter are really harsh, but Mother wrote it for you. It explains what happened to her, but she makes a lot of comments." I hand the letter to him. "I think you already know this, she already told you after Romeo was born. You aren't my biological father, she doesn't know who is, but that doesn't stop me from thinking (no, knowing) that you are my father." He smiles at this and opens the letter to read it.

"You are my daughter, Juliet." He pauses and glances at my outfit. "And about what you're wearing... It's too revealing, I don't approve of it, but I know that's your choice so where it if you want. If it gets too revealing then I will pick out what you wear that day."

"All my outfits are pretty much the same now! Plus this is easy to move around in." I give a small smile and blush in embarrassment at his statements. After that I stay silent and observe his reaction as he reads the letter. My fingers gently make their way through Romeo's dark hair as I watch father's expression turn sour.

"That woman..." He grumbles crumpling the paper in his hand. Then he sighs, "But I still love her..."

"Me too, Father. I still love Mother too... Not the same way, of course, but like any daughter loves her parents. It's an unconditional thing that drives us to love you guys. Mother may have been mean when her sickness got really bad, but I knew I needed to give her all the love and attention a daughter could give her mother. I guess it wasn't what she wanted, but others told me that it is what she needed." I tell him my eyes glancing down at my hand that's running its way through Romeo's hair. "You know, I think she used to be a fun person."

"Why's that?" My father asks me as he tries to smooth out the letter.

"You fell in love with her, correct?" I ask with a smile making its way onto my face. "Besides, she decided on our names based on a play's poster and she didn't even see the play. That's what I'm told is a go-getter attitude."

Father laughs as he agrees with my statement. "How was Crocus like? And the academy? Lucy told me that you were one of the youngest the pass the S-class exam there."

"The S-class exam just means that you can complete the hardest jobs on the normal request board. If you pass it a second time then you're ready for the S-class jobs. I only passed it once though." I explain then go on to tell him all about Crocus and the academy. Then I start to tell him about Red, and he gets a little stiff at the mention of my best friend.

"Who exactly is this boy?" He asks with a dangerous gleam in his eye. Right when I was about to tell him my communication Lacrima glows and I put it on the table in front of us.

"This is him," I giggle awkwardly as Red's face appears in the projection.

"Who is he and why does he look like he wants to murder me?" Red asks pointing at father.

"I'm her father." Then that's how the conversation begins and after a long lecture from Father and a terrified explanation from Red the two of them come to terms with each other and father realizes that Red and I are like family. Red still restrained himself from calling me an idiot because he didn't want to get on my family's bad side.

The conversation we were all having lasted a couple hours and Romeo woke up and joined in after a while.

The next day Father and I told Romeo about Mother. That was probably the hardest day for all of us. We all stayed home and Father and I told him about what happened exactly. I did mention the letter Mother wrote for him, and he was slightly upset that he couldn't read it until he was 12-years-old. I didn't tell him about all the details of Mother and neither did Father. We didn't know how.

A couple weeks after we told him I started to go on jobs non-stop. I would go to the guild smiling, chatting away. Romeo and Father would be there and I would talk to them the most. I made friends with almost everyone in the guild now and they all got used to my formal, and sometimes childish, way of speaking. That habit won't go away any time soon. After the chatting I would go grab another job request, head out and then complete it as fast as I can. Today however I was on my way back to the guild and I ran into a scarlet-haired woman named Erza. She's really nice and pretty. She was also carrying this really big, decorated horn she received as a gift from a village she saved. The horn was from the monster she defeated.

"Wow, Miss Erza, you're so strong." I tell her as I stare at the decorated horn.

"Thank you, Juliet, I try my best. Aren't you the wizard that killed a horde of mercenaries without lifting a finger? We need more wizards of your status." She asks me. These rumors are pretty intense. I did defeat a group of mercenaries, but it took me several hours to defeat them. Plus I only left them unconscious and left them for the magic council to take care of. There wasn't even that many, at most there were 20 of them. "I heard that there were 200 of them all together. Good work, Juliet."

"Well, there weren't that many. Plus the rumor is a little much, Miss Erza. I don't think I could handle 200." I laugh awkwardly, rubbing the back of my neck. A small blush was on my face from embarrassment.

"Well, you are pretty young. I only became S-class when I was 13-years-old." She states and then her face becomes serious. She must remember something important. "I must get back to the guild quickly." Erza growls scaring me a little bit. I didn't think she was this scary.

Back at the guild I discovered that Erza recruited Natsu and Gray to join her to fight against the dark guild, Eisenwald. Gray is a tall, raven-haired boy around the age of 19. Plus he has an unusual habit that makes him take off all of his clothes without realizing it. I met him the second day of the guild when Romeo was introducing me to everybody. Lucy was asked to tag along by Mirajane in order to make sure Natsu and Gray don't fight. I'm pretty sure Lucy can't stop them, but Erza definitely can.

A couple of days later they all returned announcing that they defeated Lullaby and Eisenwald. They also ended up destroying the conference hall so they had to run away from there. Happy was telling me how they found flying fish that sang, but the taste was awful. Then he said that a mushroom grew on his head. It was kind of confusing, but funny at the same time. Lucy was telling me how she got a new gold key.

It sounds like they had a good experience. It inspired me to take a harder request that took me four days to complete. Vulcans were back to terrorizing Mt. Hakobe. There were around 20 of them like father had to deal with. I attacked them in groups of five and I was able to defeat all of them. Though on the last day a giant Vulcan attacked me along with the regular five and I realized that it was a Titan Vulcan. I was almost out of magic energy when I destroyed it and the rest of the five were still hopping around.

It was a cheap shot that I pulled, but I opened up my cape and pulled down the hood to reveal my gender. The remaining five fought each other because they all wanted to claim me as their woman. There was one left standing that I defeated with most of the remainder of my magic energy.

"Song of the burning sun, shine your fiery light, melt all that is impure! Shine on!" I exclaim playing on my crimson violin. A bright red and orange light dances around me and then charges at the Vulcan with amazing speed. The Vulcan was taken out in one hit, and after that was over I had to walk down to the nearest town. My cape was torn, along with my black crop-top and white shorts.

I bought a new cape that was exactly the same as my torn one, and then went back to the mayor's house that my stuff was located at. I changed into a similar outfit, rest and then get my reward.

I am back once again, and I see someone I didn't expect to see.

"Red! You're here!" With that I run up to my best friend and give him a hug.


	6. Chapter 6

"Yeah, you idiot, I am here!" Red announced with a laugh and hugging me to his chest. "I'm only here for a bit before I head back to Crocus. My classes were put on a break."

I stared at him through my lavender eye noticing that he was wearing all black including the hooded cape I had purchased for him. He really did look like a moody teenager, but that was because he is one. Really all he needed was some sound pods to complete the whole don't-bother-me vibe he was trying to give off. He has yet to perfect this look, honestly, with him smiling and laughing. Maybe he will get the hang of it eventually, but I would rather him be happy.

"I'm going to go pay my membership fee and then I can show you around!" I tell him enthusiastically while bouncing on the heels of my feet. "C'mon, Red!" I turn quickly with a flourish of my cape and skipped into the guild hall to wander up to Mirajane. On the way to the bar Red and I had to dodge a few flying bottles and chairs with the occasional wizard being thrown about as well.

Needless to say Natsu and the rest of his team had come back from a mission which could only mean that he and Gray had started a guild wide fight without even realizing it. The more the merrier I guess, but I don't think I can join in at the moment. I still have to visit my father and uncle. Plus Red is with me as well and I have to make sure he isn't, well, that he doesn't get involved with the guild brawl.

"Miss Mirajane! I completed my mission, so don't I have to pay my membership fee now?" I ask as I walk up to the white-haired model and once S-class Mage. "Or was it that it is deducted from the pay automatically like the expenses to damage caused? Then again I don't really destroy anything else when I go on missions, but I just need to ask because I always forget somehow. I don't know why I always forget it just kinda happens. Maybe this time I will remember! Then I won't have to keep bothering you about my askin-"

Red's hand slammed down on my mouth to keep me from talking anymore while Mirajane just smiled at me like usual. I think she is used to my rambling now, but then again even Red isn't used to it and he has been my best friend for a really long time.

"She talks a lot," Red admits to Mirajane with a strange tilt to his voice which means that he was trying to charm the woman in front of him. "But you're incredibly patient to be able to keep that beautiful smile on your face while waiting for this idiot to finish."

Mirajane, though being at least five years older than Red just smiled at him before explaining to me that the membership fee was automatically deducted from the pay along with any costs to damage. It was really quite an intricate system that I have no way of being able to fully understand, but I was never really good with that type of stuff anyways.

"You're just like Loke," Mirajane told Red, who still had his hand covering my mouth. "I wonder how many ladies you will have when you're older."

"I only hope to have one lady in my life, and to be able to call you mine would be an absolute honor." Red tried to charm her by giving what he thought was a boyish grin.

"No, you're a bit too young for my tastes." Mirajane laughed slightly but put a gentle hand on Red's head as if he were only a little kid. Which to her we probably are. "Maybe in seven years." She laughs, pats his head twice with the palm of her hand, and walks away to get Cana a refill of, what I decided to call, her barrel of booze.

Red was stiff with rejection, his eyes closed in utter defeat, and then his hand fell away from my mouth. The moment his hand fell I collapsed to my knees with laughter taking over. That was awesome. I feel bad for him, sure, but this happens with every pretty lady he meets and it kind of gets funny after a while. I put my hand on top of a stool trying to stand back up, but I was laughing way too hard. Tears were jumping from my eyes due to this intense laughter.

"Y-you-you," I could barely get out one word as I tried to get back up to my feet, "Sh-she-eee tu-tur-ned y-you dow-own! B-becau-se y-you ar-are five years y-younger th-than her!" I finally get my my feet as my laughter dies down. I wipe the tears from my eyes as Red mutters under his breath about how that could affect a man's self esteem.

We walked through the guild hall looking for my father and uncle. By the time we reached the two of them Red had flirted with and was rejected by the majority of the woman in this guild. Lucky for him Erza was too busy eating her strawberry cake to even take notice of his presence or else she would have knocked him out with a single flick to the forehead.

Red and I took our seats at the table with my father and uncle, Red was slowly getting over all the times he had been rejected.

"Hey, kiddos, how's it going?" Uncle Wakaba asks us through his pipe. He smokes a lot, but that also correlates with his magic. He uses a type of magic called smoke magic which means he can control his smoke at will. I think smoking all the times makes him feel secure because that is what his magic is, and maybe he believes that if he is without it for a a tiny bit then he loses part of himself. Then again it could be just a habit at this point in time.

"Uncle Wakaba, Red got rejected by all the ladies of Fairy Tail in one day!" I laugh placing my hands over my mouth to try to muffle the sound. "I think that is a new record, yeah?"

"I think Loke has him beat still," Wakaba laughs while messing up Red's hair with his fist. Red just grumbles while nudging me in the side. "So, Red, you gonna join this guild some day?"

"I was thinking about it," he grumbles turning his glare on me. "This idiot here is my partner, and I need to catch up to her first. I'm going by my standards so I am going to join when I feel like I am strong enough if you guys would allow me. Jules here probably got in easier since she had family here, I only have her so I have to prove it too myself that I can be strong enough backup for her since I only have support magic. My healing is weak but my power boosts have been getting better."

"And you say I talk a lot," I laugh playfully punching his arm. "I think you're pretty good already! If you join you'll probably get stronger quickly!"

My father, uncle, and I all tried to convince him to try and join. It is true, I guess, because I already have ties here so it was probably easier for me to join. I can almost guarantee the master would let him join because he has no malicious intent currently in him and I don't think he ever could. He's a healer for a reason, and despite his calling me an idiot most of the time he is one of the nicest people I know. It takes some time to get to know that side of him though. Once you get past the whole trying to seduce older women thing and grumpy teenage personality.

Father and uncle ended up leaving soon later, father telling me to get home soon once I said by to Red. He was leaving at the end of the day.

Red turned to me, a sad glint in his eyes and a dark shadow over his face. I place a gentle hand on his knee waiting for him to say what he had to say.

"I should have died."


	7. Chapter 7

Nab and I were staring at the request board, both of us looking for a request to take. I realized that he takes on a job every three days, when he finds the one that is perfect for him. To be honest, I wasn't even looking for a request. I was just waiting for him to pick one. Most of us wondered what jobs he chooses on the rare occasion. From what I heard one time it took him two months to find that special job. His hand twitched and his eyes were locked firmly on a flier. Is he going to pick it?

This job was to guide a wolf pack away from a small village. It was worth quite a bit of jewels, around 60,000 to be exact. His hand raised slowly and I could see beads of sweat forming on his forehead. I silently cheered him on as I watched him grab onto the flier as if it were the most delicate thing on Earthland. He took it off the board and turned around to go find the master, but he didn't take more than one step away before he turned around and pinned the request right back onto the board. I groaned quite loudly, and Nab caught onto my frustration. However he didn't know what it was for.

"Ah, picking a request is hard for me too. You'll find one eventually," he tried to comfort me by placing a tanned hand on the top of my head in reassurance.

I bowed my head in defeat saying, "Thanks for the help, sir Nab. I think I will find one soon." I was little less than enthusiastic, but I can't be blamed. I was standing here for a solid seven hours waiting for him to choose a request, but he just put it back. Put it right back onto the board and is looking for a new one. He touched that very request seven times and only once took it off the board. For some reason, I think he will pick that one in about three hours if someone doesn't get to it first.

My eyes found a request that seemed challenging enough. It was to get back what was once stolen. It doesn't quite say what was stolen, but it was a single item. It was said that it might take a couple weeks because they didn't know who took it exactly. They had a guess between four different groups of thieves. I would probably have to take someone else with me on this request, but the only partner I ever had was Red and I'm not going to replace him now. The only reason I went to Mt. Hokobe with Natsu, Happy, and Lucy was to find my dad. It wasn't a mission that payed us, it was to save a family member. I didn't replace Red then by joining a team.

I think I could do this by myself, but knowing Fairy Tail's luck one of those groups of thieves could very well be a dark guild. Knowing my luck I will battle against them only for them not to have the stolen item. However, it could be a good experience and might take me a little over two weeks. I think I could pull this off now, but that would take some planning and might have to fight more than one group.

I just shrug my shoulders and grab it off the board. Turning around I wish Nab luck on finding a job, because Mavis knows he needs it. I make my way through the guild hall, which was surprisingly calm today. Elfman was on a mission, Natsu and his team were out on a mission as well, Max was nowhere to be found, Loke was off somewhere, and my father went on another mission and this time with uncle. Levy and her team shadow gear were off breaking some enchantment, and so it was pretty calm here. Cana was off drinking her barrel of booze by the bar, and Laki was discussing some things with Mirajane. Nab, as always, is still by the board debating on that mission involving the wolf pack. Master was off doing paperwork in his office, and Romeo is at school. Bisca and Alzack are drinking with Cana, just not as much as the card mage. Vijeeter is, actually I don't know where he is. I don't know where Reedus is either. They might be here, or somewhere else. I don't really know.

I make my way through the guild hall, not having to dodge any flying objects or people from brawls. It was a little strange, but I guess this happens some days. I skip along to a little tune in my head and hum along as well as I make my way up to the bar to sit next to Laki. They both give me warm smiles once they notice my presence, and I hand Mira the flier.

"Hello, miss Mira and miss Laki, I chose this mission! I was actually standing by the board all day to see what mission sir Nab would choose. He almost picked one too, but then he put it back! I was standing there for seven hours with him. It was fun though, a little boring, but still fun... I am looking forward for this mission because it will test my power and strength! The academy put me on a strict training schedule that I still follow here when I am not out on a mission." I continue rambling to the both of them, part of me wishing that they would stop me like Red always did. It took a couple minutes, but slowly my rambling came to a stop. I was probably talking for about ten minutes straight. Mira handed the request back to me with her usual smile on her face. She knew I could handle the request because she read through my portfolio unlike the master. Laki looked annoyed though and I could see the wood splintering on the countertop.

"Here you go, Juliet. Good luck on your mission!" Mira says happily as she ushers me away. I guess she was annoyed by me too, but she didn't show it. I mean I would be annoyed too because of someone who doesn't know how to stop talking. I guess that is something I need to learn, I will learn it eventually I guess.


End file.
